Singers of the Night
by Truth between the Lines
Summary: Three children grow up in a small Fangorn colony,Aglaranna, Meryl, and Zain with dreams of higher things and a life away from solitude. How does Isildurs heir work as an inspiration to Anna for a better life, when he doesnt even know she exists? ((NOT AN


Copyright: None of its mine, its all Tolkiens. Except for my characters, they should be easy to point out ^^  
  
This is my first Fan fiction! Please don't flame me to death for bad grammar and such. Really, I enjoy R&R's, but I won't beg. Okay, well , on with the story! Yes, the format is terrible, I'll fix it sometime.  
  
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Singers of the Night  
  
The brown skin, ingrown with tiny green sprouts fell mercilessly to the floor. So much of the brutality continued that a small pile began to form on the floor, all skins sheared off under the young girls knife. She swung her legs boredly, back and forth, as she sat upon the counter, skinning. She was a youth, with maybe 12 years under her belt. A mass of brown hair was held in a tight, messy bun atop her stubborn head, and her young features were drawn in a scowl, grey and black eyes glaring. This girl continued her pillaging with a sharp knife, ruthlessly and with no feeling going about her duty.  
  
"Potato duty again!? Really Anna, how can you get in that much trouble?"  
  
The skinner girl looked up, and dropped the recently skinned potato into a pot as she slid from the counter. Her eyes lit happily, as she spat back a verbal retort at the smaller, red head in the doorway.  
  
"Ah, but Meryl, its so enjoyable to do a womans work once in awhile."  
  
Meryl snorted, rather loudly, and surveyed Anna's work.  
  
"Terrible....the potatoes end up looking like lava rocks. All lumpy and such"  
  
"They still taste the same. C'mon, before Daddy catches me!"  
  
Full of giggles, the two girls rushed out of the dimly lit kitchen, and outside into the not much brighter day. Daytime in Fangorn was always muted, darkened through the twists and turns of the trees above. Most would say it was insane to colonize the twisted woodland, but the people had little choice. Years before, an outbreak of a sickness called River Fever hit the smaller villages on the Plains of Rohan. River Fever was the result of a badly tended well of stagnant river water, and consequently the only herb that could stop the spread was Starwort. Starwort was only found in Fangorn. This was the humble beginning of the colony, barely feet from the borders yet still affected by the darkness. One, wide dirt road seperated the small wooden cabins, and children of former Herb Gatherers played an endless game of chase known only to children under 7.  
Anna and Meryl, side by side, rushed across the road and into the trees. Neither had wishes to peel potatoes or practice needlepoint.They paid no heed as their rough cotton dresses tore on branches, nor did they care when burs caught in their tangled hair. The girls had dreams, Anna's of freedom and Meryl's of love. What else did growing girls dream off? Housework? Blasphemy. What a waste of imagination. They stopped, gasping for breath spent on their run, and plopped down on the dirty ground.  
  
"You....think anyone followed us Anna?"  
  
"Hope not" She shifted and wrapped her arms around her knees. "My Daddy will not be happy when he finds he only gets four potatoes for dinner. Not like your Daddy will say anything, since he loves you so much."  
  
"Yeah right." Meryl picked a bur from her short, fiery hair, green eyes glaring in concentration. Meryl was smaller than Anna's tall form, more feminine as well than her stick-like friend, with a sweet smile that could easily transform into an evil smirk. "If he loved me so much, he wouldn't try and marry off to the innkeepers son."  
  
"Ew! He's like twenty! And missing teeth already!"  
  
The girls fell into a fit of giggles. Neither yet knew that soon they, and another, would become the eerie voices that haunted the nights with songs of repression and hurt. Anna spat and squinted one eye, looking all the world like the man they mocked. Both continued to laugh, but it turned into a scream on Anna's part, as she was lifted off the ground by her dress, and turned to face a tall, coal haired man with steely eyes. Meryl could smell his ever present rank from her place, huddled against a tree trunk.  
  
"Aglaranna, are you done with your dinner duties?" He shook the girl by the cotton dress.  
  
"N-no sir..b-but I asked Gadrien this morning, and-" Her whimpers were cut off by the back of a dirty hand, and she was dropped to the ground in a heap.  
  
"Potato duty is NOT YOUR BROTHERS JOB! Now get up and get back to the house! Don't think I don't see you there, Meryl, though its sad your father doesn't have enough balls to treat you properly. If you innterupt my daughters duties again, I will take it into my own hands, am i clear, Meryl?"  
  
She nodded frantically. Anna was jerked up by her arm, and dragged away, but mouthed a 'Goodbye' to her friend as she disappeared in the tangles.  
  
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Good? No? TELL ME! REVIEW! I'll post the next chapter when I get my first review! Help the novice writer. I know its not very LOTRish yet, but it will all come into place in later chapters. I promise.  
  
Myconfusion 


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